Real Salt Lake opens with draws in Argentina

Real Salt Lake started off its exhibition slate in Rosario, Argentina, on Wednesday with a pair of draws in split-squad contests against Argentina first division club Newell's Old Boys.

The day began with RSL's reserve squad dueling to a 0-0 draw against their counterparts from Newell's in a 60-minute scrimmage, followed by a 70-minute match between the squads' first teams that ended in a 1-1 draw.

The opener between the reserve sides was largely a stalemate, but the second half featured the RSL debut of Colombian defender Jamison Olave, who replaced an injured Brennan Tennelle on the backline at the halftime break.

In the second game, it took until the second half for the teams to move the scoreboard.

Newell's scored first in the 58th minute from the penalty spot.

Real equalized a minute later when Argentine native Javier Morales celebrated his homecoming with a 16-yard effort off a well-constructed build-up by Kenny Deuchar and Andy Williams.

"There were lots of positives to take from the second game. We had some better ideas of how we wanted to attack, allowing us to combine very well and create a lot of good chances," said coach Jason Kreis.